Money Saving Challenge - June 29

I am enjoying all of your money saving tips that you are leaving in comments on the giveaway.  I am  also noticing that most of them have to do with purchasing food. Food is definitely the first place one looks to save money. I think that most of us have gotten pretty proficient at saving on food. But there are so many other ways to save also. So I am going to be concentrating on the other ways as much as possible the next few months. Yes I will still be saving on food. Matter of fact, I have decided to go back to my $150. per month budget effective July 1 because I want to sock away as much money as possible to replace all of the house money that has been going out so rapidly. We have set a goal as to how long this will take us and I am dedicated to making sure that we reach  that goal.

The food budget of $150. per month is very attainable here. Of  course, I do have a modest food stockpile so that will help also.  The $150. will be for food and cat food only. Cleaning supplies will either be free or homemade.


So this is what I have done today to save our money:

- Took my Navy shower using very little water, free shampoo, free conditioner, and a cheap Intuition Razor

-  The vet has my cat on a diet. So I carefully measured out the 1/8 cup of food that she gets in the morning and will do the same for dinner. I gave her a fresh bowl of water which is very important every day. 

- I changed the cat's litter box using scoopable litter which saves me a lot of money. 

- I turned off the a/c since it is cooler here this morning and will be for a couple of days. We are enjoying the fresh air. 

-Breakfast was cereal. I was craving oatmeal this morning.

- I have homemade turkey soup put together for lunch and will simmer it for about 45 before lunch.

- I made the marinade for my chicken for dinner which will be Chicagolandia's Garlic Chicken  Stir Fry and corn on the cob. Chicagolandia, thanks so much it was delicious!

- I will be blanching the extra 4 ears of corn( got 6 free and will cook 2 for dinner) and freezing them. 

- I did my weekly cleaning which keeps things in great condition so I don't have to replace them  as quickly.

- We  continue to keep an eye on the landscapers making changes along the way to suit our tastes. 

- We have a seating area in front of the house that needs a couple of chairs. We have beautiful iron chairs that go to our patio set. Instead of  running right out and buying 2 chairs, we will use 2 from the patio set since our patio will not be going in until the spring. I just need to look for some new cushions - thick ones. I hate the chincy, thin ones that I have seen  so far. I will look in a few more stores on my shopping day on Thursday. By using the two chairs that we have, DH and I can look for the right chairs on sale. Historically this kind of thing goes on sale sometime after the 4th.  

- My mail was $ 9.00 in rebates and two free samples today.

- I continue to work on my shopping list for my big trip on Thursday.  If  I am going to spend the gasoline to drive there, I am going to make every penny and every hour count.

- My bed comforter fit beautifully in my HE's this morning. So I didn't need to pay to have it dry cleaned.

- DH put the shelves in my bookcases. I started unpacking all of the books that I brought from AZ. Most of them are money saving reference books that are dog-earred from use. Now I can find them when I need them.

- Shucked the corn outside into a garbage barrel, so as not to make a mess that I would have to clean up in the house. It is such a beautiful sunny day!

- I have done my best today to keep the computer in sleep mode and the wireless mouse turned  off when not in use. 

- Ordered another Free Amazon GC from SwagBucks

- I changed a few more light bulbs to fluorescents. I am slowly finding the ones we shipped from Arizona. 

Tonight DH and I will go for a walk and then watch a free movie together.

Please feel free to leave a comment and share with us what you did to save money today!

Money Saving Challenge - June 28

These are the money saving things I did yesterday and today:

- Did a quick shop at Tops:

2 Eight O'Clock Coffee - B1G1F - $ 4.99 - Used $2./1 IP Cpn = $2.99 for 2
2 Grande Tortilla Chips -B1G1F - $ 3.49 - Used $ 1./1  Mfrs.  Cpn = $ 2.49 for 2
6 Ears of Corn - $ .25 each = $ 1.50 - Used Mfrs. Cpn for Get  $ 1.50  off Produce wyb 2 Grande Tortilla Chips = Free
2 Philadelphia Cream Cheese - $ 1.00 each = $ 2.00 - Used (2)  $ 1./1 IP Cpns = Free
2 Kraft Salad Dressing -  $ 1.67 each - Used $ .55/1 IP Cpns = $ .57 each

Total OOP was  $ 6.62

- Supervised the  landscape crew to make sure things were planted where we wanted them.

- Made Egg and Canadian Bacon McMuffins for breakfast this morning. Had cereal and fruit yesterday morning.

- Received a Free Smart Ones Cpn in the mail today along with some $ .50/1 ones,  a $ 6.00 Michelob Rebate Check, a $ 3.00 Pinecone Survey Check and some useful  Home Depot Coupons.

- Did 2 loads of  laundry yesterday using the HE's and  1 Tbsp. of detergent.

- We still have the A/C on but it  is barely running; just enough to take that awful humidity out of the air.          

- It is so muddy here( we have had so much rain) and I had to wade out to the backyard to tell them where to plant trees and bushes today. I didn't want to ruin a pair of shoes. So I dug in the garage and found my rubber sandals that I used to wear out by the pool in AZ. All I had to do was take a hose to them and they were clean  in no time.

- I filled up the car tonight at the cheap gas station using cash to get the best price. They are about 6 cents cheaper per gallon than everyone else.

- I am working on shopping lists so that I can spend the day in Williamsville on Thursday getting all of the stores that I need to go to done at once.

- Signed up for a few freebies and caught up all  of my points programs.

- Ordered a Coke Cpn from Coke Rewards.

- Ordered a $ 7.00 Cpn with Rewards from Nature Made. I think this program  ends on June 30th, so  if you  have points, spend them now.

- I added my SwagBucks Amazon GC's to my Amazon Account from the middle of the month. I got behind because of our trip.

- Lunches both days were turkey wraps.

- Dinner last night was hoisin pork tenderloin, garlic mashed potatoes and broccoli. Tonight I was going to have chicken stir fry but that got pushed off until tomorrow night.  By the time the landscapers left, DH and I were both hungry and tired. So we went out for a beer and  pizza at Luigi's in Swormville which is quickly becoming one of our favorite places. Three beers( yes I  had two because I was not driving) and the best large NY pizza in the area was $ 28.20 + tip. 

- Made out three rebates to get in the mail tomorrow. 

- Made a pitcher of peach iced tea from cheap Crystal  Light that I stockpiled.

- Chopped veggies and turkey tonight to make soup tomorrow for lunch.

Don't forget to enter my $10.00 Starbucks GC Giveaway here:  Starbucks

Please free to leave  a comment and share with all of us what you did today to save money!

Money Saving Challenge - June 24th & 25th

It rained during the night here so the landscaper couldn't start on Thursday. They did start yesterday. This entire project is going to take about 10 days. I can't wait until they cut those ugly white pipes down to ground level. That should be done when the mulch is brought in. They couldn't be done until the grading level was determined which is still being worked on. About 1/2 of the plants in the front gardens and just a couple of the  trees were planted yesterday.  Seven  of the  neighbors and my son stopped by last night to take  a look at what they had done. DH was more than happy to show them the plan.  I went to bed early with a horrible migraine headache which is why this post didn't get published. I am so happy that it is gone today since I am babysitting my grandson most of the day while my son and DIL take their friend from Oregon on the vineyard tours.  

These are the money saving things that I did on Thursday and Friday:

- Breakfast was cereal and fruit on Thursday and Orange rolls on Friday.

- Signed up on Facebook to get a Free DiGiorno Deep Dish Pizza coupon and signed up for a few freebies

- Received a Free Neti Pot, and my EW Magazine in the mail

- We got notice from our health insurance company that they refuse to  pay that $756. bill that I discussed a few weeks ago here. The reason being that the Dr. submitted it past the deadline to do so. DH called the Dr. and they are going to write it off since it was their mistake in not submitting it in a timely manner even though they had our insurance info.

- UPS brought a free product for me to test for 4 weeks.

- I submitted to Rite Aid for $35. in Rite Aid Giftcards and $40.98 for June rebates. It was a great rebate month.

- Lunches were turkey sandwiches from the turkey breast I cooked.

-  Dinners were turkey, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce and green beans one day. The other night was homemade shake and bake chicken and a tossed salad.

- I did one load  of laundry using the  HE's and minimum detergent. I am hoping that DH will put up my clotheline in the basement next week. I love having one there  especially in the winter and have tons of room for it.

- I organized my small stockpile on the shelves in the basement.

- We unwrapped the huge vase we bought at Ruby Gordon and determined that we need something to anchor it so that it doesn't get knocked over.  DH came up  with the idea of buying a bag of child's playbox sand. That will work perfectly and help hold the sticks or flowers that will go in it to decorate a corner of my great room.

- I was out of taco seasoning mix so I made a few batches to have on hand.

- My celery was getting old so I chopped it and put it in the freezer.

- I started to work on my Rite Aid list for Sunday or Monday shopping.

- I continue to keep my coupons filed and up to date.  I tossed the June expiration ones.

- I am continuing to organize areas of the house and DH and  I continue to work on the decorating.

Please feel free to leave a comment and let us know what you have done  to save  money. 

We've Been Decorating and Organizing Today!

The landscaper called  this morning to say that since we had rain last night it was too wet to get his equipment into our property. It rained here again most of the morning also. So they will be starting tomorrow. 

So DH and  I did odds and ends today that didn't really involve any moneysaving. We hung these  pictures that you see. They  are each  41 inches square and hang side by side with a bit of space between them on a very long hallway that connects our foyer to the great room. We spotted them at Ruby Gordon in Rochester when we went looking for a sofa table and end table. We  instantly fell in love with them. They have all of the colors that we are decorating our home in.  Ignore the difference in the wall paint color; it is really the sand color in the picture farthest to the right.  My camera doesn't do well when I am trying to take pictures at an angle.   My interior designer is shopping for some other things for us and will be coming the end of next week. I called her today to tell her about buying this art work, the sofa table, the end table and the huge urn type vase that we purchased.  I think she is going to be very pleased with our purchases.

DH also hung a very heavy iron mirror, that we had in our entryway in Arizona, over my dresser in the master bedroom. It is hung on the left hand side over the dresser. The right hand side has an iron lamp that goes beautifully with it. I will be doing a collection of family pictures and putting them under the mirror tomorrow.

I also had DH hang my battery rack on the wall in one of the pantries in the kitchen. It is like this one:   Battery Rack   I was like a duck out of water without it being hung.  I also spent part of  the day reorganizing the cupboards in the kitchen. I  have done this twice and I am still not sure that I am happy with them. I may be moving some things around again. 

I will be back with a money saving challenge post tomorrow. I hope all of you have a wonderful evening. 

Money Saving Challenge - June 23rd

Before I get into the money saving day here, let me tell you what I experienced today.  I was sitting on our sleep number bed about 1:44 PM folding some sheets that had just come out of the dryer when the entire bed started shaking. It shook for what seemed like a minute. It took me a second to realize that it must be an earthquake. I have felt them at least three times before in other cities. I checked the news online and sure enough there was a 5.5 earthquake  about 30-40 miles from Ottawa, Canada. Almost every town and city in the Buffalo area seemed to experience this. 

These are the money saving things that we did today:

- DH made scrambled eggs, orange juice and coffee for breakfast.

- I went to Rite Aid to do some deals and pick up DH's prescriptions. I had a coupon for one new drug so that paid the co-pay on that one. I will make  more money after rebates than I paid today for the deals.

- While I was out, I filled the car up with gasoline at the cheapest station in my area.  It  was about 6 cents per gallon cheaper because I paid cash.   

- Since DH was craving iced tea, I made a pitcher of it using teabags, Alterna, and lemon juice.

- The only mail today was a $3.00 survey check.

- Lunch was turkey sandwiches made from a turkey breast that I roasted early this morning in the Nesco roaster out on the front porch. I have the A/C on so don't like to heat the house back up.
This will give us turkey sandwiches or wraps for lunch for the next few days.

- I was cleaning out a drawer today that was a catch all for all kinds of papers when we moved.  I found an envelope full of odd amount stamps. I have made a list of what denomination stamps I need to put with them for today's current postage. I will pick those up at  the Post Office one day later this  week.

- I washed sheets and towels today in the HE's with the usual 1 Tbsp. of detergent per load.

- I also decided to take a chance on washing the cat's bed. It said to handwash it and let it air dry. Instead, I washed it on delicate and used the dryer on low heat.  It came out perfectly.

- My Norton AntiVirus subscription is expiring in a couple of days. I thought I had remembered that a  Free 3 year subscription for McAfee AntiVirus Plus 2010 was included in the purchase of this  computer that I bought a couple of months or so ago. Sure enough I found the software that came with the computer and  it is there.  I will download it tonight or tomorrow. That will save me about $50. a year for the next three years.  

- DH and I watched the Wimbledon tennis match between Mahut and Isner for most of the 7 hours today. It started last night and they called it for darkness. After 7 hours today, they called it for darkness. It will continue tomorrow. It is the longest match in history and was fascinating to watch. All kinds of records were being broken. I am going  to feel so bad when one of them loses.  They not only are great tennis players but the sportsmanship they have displayed is amazing. So this was our entertainment today while we were getting other things done.

- Filed a pile of coupons for restaurants and other places, besides grocery stores, into the folder I keep in the car 

- I did some work updating our net worth records today.

- I washed the ExerSaucer that my grandaughter used and that I had stored in our basement.  My grandson is just the right age for it now.  :-)

- Dinner (the picture) was spaghetti with Al Fresco Garlic and Herb Chicken Sausages sliced up in the sauce.  The sauce was homemade a few weeks ago and put in the  freezer. The sausages come all cooked so it was just a matter of thawing the sauce and heating it up with the sausages in it in the microwave. I brought the water to a boil and put in the spaghetti.  I turned off the stove and covered the spaghetti tightly and let it sit for 30 minutes. Perfect spaghetti everytime! :-)  These sausages are so good and Alex M. whose blog is here:  Living Without Money was nice enough  to let me know they are on sale this week. So I will be picking up more with coupons of course. 

- DH  had to pick up some odds and ends for the house at Home Depot. He used a 10% off Lowes coupon.

- Entertainment tonight will be reading my pile of magazines that have come over the past two weeks. 

Please feel free to leave a comment and share with all of us  what you did to save money today! 

Rite- Aid

Since I had to pick up some prescriptions for DH at Rite Aid, I decided to pick up some other items while  I was there. This is what I purchased:

2 -  8 packs of Rite Aid AA Alkaline Batteries - on sale B1G1F - $ 6.99 - Used (2) $ 2.00 RA Cpns =
$ 2.99

1 Zegerid OTC - 12 ct- Reg. Price of $12.99 - 20% Wellness Disc. of $ 2.60 = $11.49 - Used $4./1 Mfrs. Cpn (6/20 SS)  - Used $ 3./1 VV Cpn =  $4.49 and I will submit for the $ 2.00 SCR and the TMF Rebate ( 6/20 SS)- I love moneymakers!

2 Renpure Shampoo  and Conditioner 2 packs - $ 3.50 each = $ 7.00 and I will submit for 2 TMF Rebates - I love moneymakers!

Used $ 5./25 RA Cpn
Used $ 2.00 in UP Rewards

Total was $  15.18 but I will get  a $2.00 SCR and $ 15.99 in other rebates!

Money Saving Challenge - June 22nd

These are the things today that I did to save money:

- I finally decided that dinner would be glazed cooked carrots, cheddar macaroni, and pan seared jumbo scallops all compliments of Tops Supermarkets. I was given a $ 20. giftcard by them with a big apology for a problem I had using my Tropicana Rewards free orange juice coupon. So today I went and spent it on a gallon of milk ($1.69), fresh peaches ( $.79 a lb.= $ .93), $ 7.59 for 3/4's of a lb. of fresh jumbo scallops, a one lb. bag of baby carrots ( $ .88 with Super Coupon), and 2 large packages of boneless skinless chicken breasts on sale for $ 1.99 a lb = $ 14.97. The macaroni and cheddar was a package that I had gotten free on a prior trip. I also picked up a 64 oz. Tropicana OJ with the coupon for free.

- All of our mail was delivered yesterday and today I had time to go through it. I received my free Money Magazine and Tennis Magazine. I also received the  $ 10. Kraft Delicious Summer Savings Check and a $2.00 Rebate Check from Dannon. I also got 2 Free Geo Train DVD's for my grandaughter and grandson.    

- Our NYSEG bill was generated online also. I was so happy to see that it was only $108. for the month. We had our air conditioning( high efficiency) on almost every day. I guess this house is energy efficient even with the high ceilings. Considering that a good portion of our bill is for monthly gas and electric meter charges and taxes and surcharges, we did very well.

- Once the rain stopped, I washed the car with a bucket of soapy water and the hose. It needed it after our trip. I  also cleaned the inside of the car. This is one job that I really enjoy and I believe I do a better job than the car wash.  

- DH was happy that the newspaper was delivered today after our 6 day vacation stop. I was happy that we won't have to pay for those 6 days. :-)

- I forgot my sneakers in Albany. I told my DIL not to spend the money to ship them. I would just pick them up next visit. I was going to look for a pair on sale. However, I found I have a pair that I can wear until then. I need a pair when I am using the treadmill; otherwise I am happy to go barefoot around here.

- I watered my geraniums in my pot. They were very thirsty while I was gone.

- We were getting very low on softsoap. I was tempted to buy some but then remembered my stockpile of bar soap. So I made liquid soap grating it as you would to make laundry detergent and cooking it down with some water. Works great!  

- I did two loads of laundry from our trip using the HE's, 1 Tbsp. of HE detergent and a 1/3 of a dryer sheet in each load. 

- I filed away the coupon inserts that I picked up in Albany. I like to keep things up to date.

That was about it for the money saving things. I am just trying to get things caught up after our trip.

Please feel free to leave a comment and share with us what you did to save money today.        

Our Vacation!

As I quickly told you last night, we were away for 6 days on a visit to our son, DIL and  grandaughter's to celebrate her 3rd birthday and to see their new home that they moved into in April. First, I have to thank them for a wonderful  time and their terrific hospitality. Michelle, you can make french toast for us for breakfast anytime. It was so good. I haven't purchased real maple syrup in a long time and now that we are back in the NE, I will be picking up a big jug. 

Our son, DIL and my grandson, West came out on Friday. It was so wonderful having all of us together for a couple of days.  West is getting so big and his laughter is infectious. He seemed to enjoy the party watching all of the people. I look forward to babysitting him this coming Saturday while my son and DIL take a visiting friend to the wineries.     

My DIL and I managed to  get two lunches out while DH and my son played with my grandaughter. One was at a Chinese restaurant where the food was so delicious. We also were out and about doing the  Sunday shopping. By dividing up orders at Walgreens and rolling RR's, we got Gillette body  washes, Aussie Shampoo,  Herbal Essence Shampoo and Pampers Easy Up's for free or very  little money. Next we were off to Rite Aid where we picked up the last pack of Duracell  batteries that I  needed for the SCR,  Cottonelle toilet paper, Finish Quantumatic, Colgate Clinical Toothpastes, and about 6 packages of Underjams on clearance. Using SCR's, VV Cpns, manufacturers cpns and up rewards, and dividing up orders, we made out like bandits. I also ended up with some leftover Up rewards  for next time. 

By using free coupons at Hannaford, we managed to  pick up 4 Free potato and coleslaw salads for the party. With DIL's sister making a couple of macaroni salads and  some baked beans, that worked out well. I also think we managed to stock my DIL and son with Free Sandwich bags for 6 months at Hannaford. She was also fortunate to  find a few packages of marked down meat which she could use $ 1.00 off beef coupons on.

Besides all the salads for the party, my son cooked many sausages, hot dogs, chicken kabobs, and hamburgers. With beverages, snacks, cake and sherbert, it was a very nice spread. The  party was held at a beautiful pavilion with a full kitchen at the firehouse where my son is a volunteer. There were slides and swings for the little ones. There was a very nice park area for the adults to play some games. It was 91 degrees that day but there was a nice breeze and the  pavilion was covered so we were very comfortable.  My grandaughter loved the fact that her mom brought her pool so that she could swim.

My grandaughter was so cute opening all of her presents. Her Mom and Dad got her the nicest  2 Step wagon which she loves and she had all of us taking her for rides at the party. She  didn't want to get out of it. So cute! My son who lives near me always knows just the right present to  get her.  When she was visiting us a few weeks ago, he noticed that she loved using her mom's digital camera. So he gave her the V-Tech Kidizoom Digital Camera which takes pictures, video and has games. The nicest part is if  she drops it, it won't break. She played with that all  of Saturday evening and  it was the first thing she asked for on Sunday.  She took pics of all of us, her toes, the floor, etc. She loves the games.

Grandma and Grandpa asked her mom what we should get. When they were visiting us she loved going to the parks on the slides, etc. So we decided to get her a swing  set for her backyard and her mom agreed to do some legwork for it.  She did and when we got to the Albany area we looked locally and quickly realized that we would  have to order what we wanted. So we ordered her a huge wooden set with 2 belt swings, a wave slide, an acrobatic swing, a rope climber, a rock  climbing wall and a sandbox. I  was disappointed that it probably wouldn't be there until sometime in July but it was what it was. So we gave her a few toys to unwrap at her party. The swingset is coming oversized freight and last night, my son let me know that they called and will most likely be delivering it today. Yeah! I am so thrilled that it ia being delivered early. Now my son has a big project to put it together. I think my grandaughter will spend many wonderful days playing on it.

She got tons of other presents from all of her extended family including a gorgeous backpack stuffed with lots of goodies that she will use when she goes to nursery school in September, etch a sketches, a doodle drawer, books, puzzles, etc.    

We all had such fun but most importantly my grandaughter had a great day! Thanks to her Mom and Dad for putting on such a wonderful party. There is nothing in life as important as family and I am  so happy that all of us were together for such a happy occasion. We had such a great time spending so much time with our grandaughter and we hated to come home because we will miss her. My DIL let me know that Alexa was crying yesterday. When her mom asked her why she was crying, she said that it was because she was sad. Her mom asked her why she was sad and she said because I miss Grandma and Grandpa. So sweet! But wipe those tears away, Alexa! We will see you very soon again!

We had busy days while we were there including a nice dinner for all of us at DH's sister and BIL's home on Thursday. It was great seeing them and catching up. They will be coming out to visit us once our landscaping is in.  My SIL has a whole  bunch  of perennials that she  will be splitting and  is happy to bring them to us to plant.

Talking about the landscaping, they called this morning. That and the sprinkler system will be started on Thursday. Yeah!   

It was wonderful spending Fathers Day with our children in Albany. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner of grilled outside rib eye steaks, shrimp cocktails, French fries, broccoli, cauliflower and carrots in a cheese sauce, corn, ice cream and cake. 

Last Wednesday when we drove to Albany, we stopped at our favorite furniture store in Rochester.  In a matter of an hour, we managed to order a new sofa table and an end table.  We also found two of  the most gorgeous pieces of artwork for one of our long hallways, a huge vase and a gorgeous lamp for the great room which we picked up on the way home yesterday.  Our interior designer is going to be thrilled with our finds.  I can't wait till she comes out again and sees them. I will take pics when they are on the wall or in place. The house is really coming together beautifully.

Well, I have rambled  long enough.  I need to go to the store for milk and produce and finish the laundry. I also need to figure out what we will have for dinner tonight until I  can get back into a routine. It most likely will be a salad and pork chops.  

The Love of a Grandfather For His Grandaughter!

We have been on vacation for the past 6 days visiting my son, DIL and grandaughter in the Albany area. The entire family arrived there to celebrate my grandaughter's birthday on Saturday.  I am sure at least a few of you remember when I posted on my blog about her birth! I was so excited! 

Well, this was her 3rd Birthday and it's hard for us to believe that she is three already. She brings such joy to Grandpa and I and it seems like just yesterday that she was born.

The pictures are proof that Grandpa truly loves his grandaughter. They were taken just before midnight on Friday evening. I baked Alexa's birthday cake which was Winnie - The - Pooh and as you can see Grandpa decorated it. We all have to give a lot of credit to Grandpa! When we were falling   a little behind on all of the party  preparations, he came to the rescue and decided that he would frost and decorate the cake. He had planned on going to bed early. However we needed him and there isn't anything he wouldn't do for his grandaughter. This is the very first cake he has ever decorated and we think it turned out really well. He had to put up with a lot of supervisory help as our two sons were teasing him while he did it. But he forged ahead and finally we were able  to take it over to the refrigerator cooler where the  party was being held the next day. That way the frosting could set up! It was so hot and humid most of our stay there and it was pretty hot in the kitchen the night he did this. 

The look of joy and excitement on our grandaughter's face the next day when she saw her cake really made Grandpa feel so good and so very proud that he could make her so happy! He loves her very much and  it shows!

Me,  I think I married the best guy in  the whole  world! :-)

I will update you more on our trip tomorrow and some of the shopping we did. We didn't get home until late this afternoon and after the 5 hour trip, unpacking, playing with the cat and starting  some laundry, I am beat!  

When You Are Short on Time!

Someone who frequents my blog asked me what I would cook if I was short on time. You know when you have those busy schedules with baseball or soccer games.

I used to use my crockpot a lot or make homemade soup in advance. Just open a jar of spaghetti sauce and throw it on cooked pasta. On the weekends cook a big pot of homemade sauce or roast a turkey, chicken or beef to use  throughout the week for sandwiches. I could quickly make up a pizza crust dough and have a pizza in and out of the oven in 25 minutes. Make up  the pasta salad that I gave you the recipe for a week or so ago. Also here are a couple of the recipes that helped me out when I had sons on football, basketball and track teams.

Hamburger Goulash:

2 small cans vegetable soup
1 lb. of hamburger
1 small onion( diced)

Saute the onion and hamburger with salt and pepper and other spices( I have used chili powder, garlic, oregano  and basil). When done, add the soup undiluted and 1 bay leaf. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaf before serving. I used to cook up a huge package of hamburger with diced onions and freeze it in portion sizes for my family so that I  could do this up very quickly.

Chicken Paprikash:

Saute 3 cups of diced onion with a few cloves of minced garlic. Then add boneless chicken breasts  cut into bite size pieces and cook. Add 1/3 cup of chicken broth, 2 tsp. of paprika, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper and 2 Tbsp. of tomato paste mixed into a carton of nonfat yogurt. Serve over rice or egg noodles.

After Tracking For Almost Three Months...................

After tracking prices for almost three months, I have finally decided the best way for me to shop my area. Price, however, was not the only consideration in making my decision. Quality of the products, my time, cost of gasoline, and the quality of customer service all figured into the equation.

So after careful consideration, I will be doing the majority of my shopping at Wegman's. Not only are their prices better than Tops but the quality of their produce, seafood, and meats are outstanding. When I buy there, I know that the  products are fresh . I find that Tops produce goes bad within a few days so there is no savings there if it ends up in the garbage. 

The prices at Top's are at least 15% higher and in  some cases, 25% higher than Wegmans.  The cost of gasoline becomes a non factor with such a huge price difference. Tops has the gasoline  points program but Wegmans does not. The gasoline savings per month does not even come close to the  cost savings by shopping Wegmans. Besides I have a gas station where I buy that has the cheapest price in the area if you pay cash. It is a no brainer for me to fill up there!   

The only drawback to this market chain is that they don't carry many bread and bakery products that aren't their own brand. Since I will be making my own bread, rolls, donuts, and coffecakes again,  this is not a problem for me.  If I do need to grab a loaf of bread in a time crunch, I have a bread outlet close by. 

Tops can't even come close to Wegman's customer service. You can wait in line for 30 minutes at customer service just to ask a question because they can have 5 people working behind the counter and only one window open to wait on you. Tops has a very limited amount  of bottle return  machines and long lines for them. Because of this I have been recyling soda bottles rather than taking them back to the store to get my bottle deposits back. My time was not worth the time spent in  line. Wegman's is much better equipped to handle them,  so I will start returning my bottles.

Wegman's carries their own store brand that,in my opinion surpasses anyone else's store brands in the Buffalo area. When you don't have a coupon or when the store brand is cheaper than the brand name with a doubled coupon, buying the store brand is a no brainer.

I don't know if all Tops are unclean, but some of the things that I have seen at the Tops I go to make me wonder.  Wegmans is always immaculately clean.

Wegmans is a 19-22 mile round trip for me depending on which store I go to. So I will be going there once a week and running all of the other errands in the same area at the same time to save on gasoline.

Since there is no tax on food in New York State, it doesn't matter what the sales tax is. I buy so little soda that the difference in sales tax is pennies. I find that most of my non-food products that I don't make myself are purchased at drugstores, Target or Walmart so I can go where the tax is lower.

Aldi's is another option for some products.  However, most or their products are loaded with salt and other ingredients that I don't want in my food.  They may be cheap but cheap is not always healthy.  So an occasional produce buy there would probably be the only reason that I would shop there.

I will buy at the Produce Market or local farmers markets when the local produce is in them. I will also stop for the rock bottom sale especially on meat at the big Produce and Meat Market. 

If I know that particular items are cheaper at Super Walmart, don't have a coupon, and I am in the area,  I will shop there.  I will not make a special trip. I will  buy the store brand at Wegmans.

Will I never shop at Tops again? Of course, I will buy the double coupon items that are free or pennies. But they seem infrequent lately, so I won't be gracing their doorstep very often. I will also buy poultry there if I see a rock bottom price to stock on like all of the turkey breasts that I purchased for $ .99 a lb. 

Finally, I have  a handle on how to shop my new area.  I don't feel like a  duck out of water anymore. I was so familiar with all of the  markets in  AZ and the prices there, that it seemed  like I would never get a handle on this area!  But I am finally there!

Homemade Cleaners

Over the years I have collected a few homemade cleaning recipes that I will share with you today.

Laundry Pre-Treater:

1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup ammonia
1/2 cup liquid laundry detergent
1/2 cup water

Mix together in a spray bottle and use on stains before you wash the clothing.

Drain Cleaner:

Handful of Baking Soda
1/2  cup of vinegar

Pour down drain and  close the drain for  about 30 minutes. Then wash  down with hot water.

Steam Iron Cleaner:

Clean ports with paperclip and then add 1/2  cup vinegar and 1/2 cup of water to iron and let it steam.

Homemade Powdered Laundry Detergent:

1 Box Borax
1 Box of Arm  and Hammer Super Washing Soda
1 Bar of Grated Soap ( Dial, Fels Naptha, Zote or Ivory)

Combine and keep in a container. Use 2 Tbsp. per load  of laundry.

Clorox All Purpose Cleaner:

1 gallon of water
2 Tbsp. of regular Clorox Bleach

I mix in a clear gallon milk jug and label the contents so no one drinks out of  it. I pour  it as I need it into a clean spray bottle.      

Homemade Liquid Hand Soap:

Grate leftover soap slivers.
Mix with 3 cups of water and melt in the microwave or on the stove in a pan. Beat with hand mixer  until  smooth and pour  into  a large bottle or jat to store until needed.

Grout Cleaner:

Equal parts of Borax and  baking soda  to make a paste.

Homemade Window Cleaner:

1 pint rubbing alcohol
1/2 cup of Ammonia
1 tsp. of dish soap

Put all  in a gallon jug and fill with water. Put in spray bottle as needed.

Enjoy but always make sure  to label your cleaners so others know what the contents are. You don't want any accidents in your household.

Rite Aid and Walgreen's

Since I had to go to Rite Aid to pickup my free mousepad, I decided to do a shop there and swing over to Walgreens also. This is what I purchased:

Rite Aid:

1 Picture Mousepad - $ 12.99 - Used Free RA VV Cpn = .00 ( This is for Father's Day for DH. He will love it and that is why I don't show it out of the bag in the picture.)

1 Dip with Salsa( filler) - $ 1.00

1-14 lb. A&H Scoop Litter - $ 5.00 - Used $ 2.00 Mfrs. Cpn = $ 3.00

Used $ 4.00 in UP Rewards

Total OOP was all tax of $ .40!

Walgreens:

3 Neutrogena Lip Moisturizers - $ 2.89 each = $ 8.67 and I received a $ 10.00 RR and I am working on the $10. Neutrogena Rebate

1  Listerine Whitening Plus Restoring Fluoride Rinse -  16oz. - $ 5.99 - Used $ 3.00 RA In Ad Cpn - Used $ 2./1  IP Cpn = $ .99 and I am submitting for the $ 10. Rebate so a $ 9.01 Moneymaker.

Total with tax was $ 10.83 and I received the $ 10.00 RR and will submit for the $ 10. Listerine Rebate and work  on the Neutrogena $ 10. one.   

Fun at Rite Aid!

I wasn't sure I would have time today to get to Rite Aid but I managed. I have 3 Rite Aids within a few miles but I like to do business with the one in the town I live in so that my town gets their sales tax portion.  This is what I purchased:

Rite Aid Transaction #1:

1 Coppertone Sport - $ 8.99 - Used $ 3./1 RA VV Cpn = $ 5.99  - Used $1./1  IP Cpn = $ 4.99 and Received $ 2.00 UP Reward ( this qualifies for SkinCare Rebate GC's)

1  Bayer 81 mg. Low Dose Aspirin - $ 1.99  - Used $1.00 In Ad Cpn - Used $1./1 IP Cpn =  Made $ .01

2 Old Spice Deodorant - $ 2.49 each = $ 4.98 - Used $1./2 Mfrs. Cpn (6/6 PG) = $ 3.98 - I will get $ 1.50 SCR for each one

1 Duracell Coppertop Batteries AA's 20+5 - $ 9.99 and I am working on the Duracell SCR for $ 5.00

Used $ 5./25. RA Cpn 

Total OOP with tax was $ 14.75. I used my $ 4.00 SCR from last month= $ 10.75 and I received $ 2.00 in UP Rewards and I will get $ 3.00's in SCR for the Old Spice plus I am continuing to  work on the Skincare GC's and the Duracell SCR  

Rite Aid Transaction #2:

1 Coppertone Sport - $ 8.99 - Used $3./1 RA VV Cpn -  Used $ 1./1 IP Cpn = $ 4.99 and Received $ 2.00 UP Rewards ( Skincare SCR)

1 Bayer 81 mg. Low Dose Aspirin - $ 1.99 - Used in Ad $1.00 Cpn - Used $ 1./1 IP Cpn = Made $ .01

2 Old Spice Body Wash - $ 2.99 each = $ 5.98 - Used B1G1F Mfrs. Cpn = $ 2.99 and I will get SCR Rebate of $ 2.99 

1 Scrubbing Bubbles Extend a Clean - $ 6.99 - Used $ 5./1 Mfrs. Cpn  = $1.99 and I will use  for SC Johnson $ 5.00 Rebate    
   
Used $ 5./20 RA VV Cpn

Total OOP was $ 5.60 including tax but I received $ 2.00 UP Rewards and I will get SCR of $ 2.99 and submit for Skincare GC's Rebate. 

A Little Shopping at Top's!

I did not want to pass up the Catalina deal at Tops using the  Super Doubler coupons. DH was also requesting turkey breast for sandwiches. Not wanting to heat the kitchen up cooking one since it is supposed to get hot, I bought some which I rarely do.

So while DH was watching the work outside, I went shopping at Tops and on the way stopped at the Town Offices to pay my very first water bill of $40. Doing that saves me a stamp!  Once we have the landscaping done, I am sure that bill will skyrocket especially while we are trying to get the lawn in. 

This is what I purchased:

4 Boxes of  Nestle Drumsticks - $ 3.00 each - Used  (4)$ 1./1 Facebook Cpns - Used ( 4) Tops Super Doubler Cpns = $1.00 each and I  received a $ 4.00 Catalina Cpn Good on my next order

Sahlen's Deli Turkey Breast - $ 8.14

Total OOP was $ 12.14 and I received the $4.00 OYNSO coupon

Update on the Leak:  When they dug they found that the original contractor had really not sealed around the sewer pipe. So they have filled and sealed it all with hydraulic cement. Then DH made them tamp down all of the dirt that they removed when they put it back so that when our bushes and trees go in there soon, the earth won't sink too badly.

The mail today brought my $ 4.00 Rite Aid SCR from May, a free Fusion Proglide Razor for DH, a $3.00 survey check, my free Entertainment Magazine and my free Weight Watchers Magazine.

Dinner tonight will be cheese ravioli's and homemade spaghetti sauce which is cooking in the crockpot in the garage as I write this. I made enough for 4 meals so I will freeze 3 meals worth. 

I just couldn't sleep last night so  I was on the  computer at  3AM.  Now  I am tired so I think I will take a nap!

Needless To Say That Precious Is Not A Happy Camper This Morning!

I am not one bit happy. :-(   When DH was in the basement a few weeks ago after it rained, he noticed it was wet on this wall. Water seems to be coming in around the patch where they put in the sewer line. That is a story in itself but we will skip that for now. So the builder sent the concrete people to check it out and they were just going to put a patch over a patch. DH being the engineer he is said no way and told them to leave. DH had told the builder prior to these people coming out that he wanted it fixed from the outside where the water was coming in.  The builder of course wanted to take the cheap route and put a patch on the inside and hope it held.

So DH gets a call from the builder because, of course, the concrete people have reported back that DH would not let them fix it from the inside with just a patch.  DH gets a little bit of an argument but is persistent. He informs them that what they want to do it is just like buying a brand new red car with a dent in it and the bodywork people putting a black paint patch on it. He  told them he wants it fixed right from the outside where the water is leaking in, so they must dig. And he lets them know that that has to be done this week since our contractors will be starting soon with the sprinkler system, lawn and landscaping. He tells the builder if they can't do it this week, then they are going to be replacing thousands of dollars in sprinkler system work and all of the landscaping effected.  The builder says he will see if someone could take care of it this week. 

As you can see in the picture, they are here! Let's hope it gets fixed right!   DH is out there watching their every move. I took pictures so that if there is a problem down the road, we have proof that it is an on going problem that they have not fixed. They are now documented and dated.

Fortunately, even though we have had a wet spring, it is only a damp spot on the wall and no real water in the basement. But when you pay  thousands of dollars for a home, you want what you paid for.  The builder has been pretty responsive whenever we call them.  But I think they realize they can't take the cheap route out with us. We are not first time homebuyers who sometimes don't recognize when there could be a potential problem down the road.  This is the 4th new home we have built so we know what the signs are.

Meanwhile, my poor neurotic cat is locked in the master bedroom suite because the noise upsets her. I don't want to have to put her on Prozac. She had just started to calm down after all of the workmen being in and out of the house a few weeks ago had left.  

        

These Mortgage Companies ALMOST Deserve What They Get!

In my wildest dreams, I thought I would never make that statement! However that was before I became aware of the following situation. I would love to hear your take on the mortgage company and what this neighbor did. 

An old neighbor of ours purchased a home in the late 1990's. Over the next few years, he remortgaged the house several times. When the housing market rose rapidly in 2005, he remortgaged again taking  a mortgage on almost the full value. A few years later, he married and the wife  moved in. A couple of years ago, they put the house on the market for a little more than what was owed on it.  After 6 months they took it off the market because it did not  sell!  Fast forward to 2009!  They stopped paying the mortgage; however they always made sure to pay the taxes so there was no tax lien put on the property.  The bank started foreclosure proceedings. One month before the bank took possession of the house and property in March 2010, the wife purchased another home in her name only. The husband had never put her name on his property. Did  you guess it?  She took a very large mortgage with the same bank who was foreclosing on the property they were living in. He filed a disclaimer stating that he had no interest in the new property because it was purchased with his wife's own funds.  So they moved in February to a beautiful home that is 800 sq. ft. larger than the home that was foreclosed on. The property is twice as large as the one that was foreclosed on.

Is this legal? Probably! Is it moral? I don't think so!  The bank is out thousands of dollars on the first house and now is the mortgage holder on the second house. The bank almost deserves what they get! Funny thing is the bank even had their other property address but I wonder if they could have denied her credit if they had put two and two together. 

This is what is wrong with our economy today and why we are all paying for people like this. And I am sure that there are plenty of other people in the good ole USA who have done the same thing over the past couple of years! Are there no morals left in this country  today?  Just wait until  the next wave of  ARM's reset! I believe we are going to  see a double dip recession like we saw in the 1970's before long and people like this are responsible for a lot of this! The Feds can't continue to keep interest rates at 0%. They will have to go up sooner rather than later and then you are going to see massive inflation. I know I have said this before but believe me when I tell you, it is coming! 

Please feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think about this!

Congratulations Buffalo - Niagara Falls, New York!

Congratulations to our area for being #10 on the new Forbe's List of America's Best Places to Raise a Family!  We who live here are very proud of this  area.  I still have a lot to learn  about it but I have seen what a beautiful area it is with the 2 Great Lakes. I have also noticed what great schools we have. But the best part to me is how friendly the people in this area are. If you would like to see if your area is on the list, you can check here:  America's Best Places to Raise a Family     

Rite Aid Finally!

I finally was able to go to Rite Aid late this afternoon after the Creative Window Design people left. DH and I loved the material we  picked out for the 4 custom made valances for our great room. I took a picture of the material that we picked out for them from their sample book. It is so rich and beautiful and  picks up the majority of the color scheme for the room.  Anyhow I gave them a deposit and will give them the go ahead to have them made after I get approval from our interior designer on Saturday. I am confident  that she will be thrilled with the material and the design we have picked for them.

At Rite Aid, I  finished up the single check rebate for the P&G $ 5.00 Rite Aid giftcard deal for this week and the  one for the Style Science Glasses. I also was very happy to see Dawn on sale. I only got a couple but will pick up more when I go back to get our prescriptions tomorrow. This is what I purchased:

2 Dawn Dish Liquid - $ .99 each -  Used (2) $ .20/1 Mfrs. Cpns  ( 6/6/10 P&G) = $ .79 each

2 Kids Style Science Glasses on sale for B1G1 at 50% off - $ 7.99 and  $ 3.99 - Used (2) $ 4./1 VV Cpns = $ 3.98 and I will receive a $ 10.00 SCR

4 Secret  Sheer Mineral Deodorants - on sale for  $ 4.00 each - Used (4) $ 2./1 Mfrs. Cpns  ( 6/6/10 P& G) =  $ 8.00 ( finished P&G SCR Rebate)

Used $ 5./25 Rite Aid Cpn

Total  OOP inclduing tax was $ 10.56 and  I will  receive $ 10.00 and a $5.00 Rite Aid GC for SCR's. 

Tuesday, June 8- Money Saving Challenge

I was hoping to get out to Rite Aid today to finish some single check rebates but that may not happen. We have been tied up the past couple of hours with Ken Young Paving putting the topcoat of asphalt on our driveway. He and his crew did an excellent job for just $1150. We paid for the first coat in the price of our home.

Now we are awaiting the arrival of the owner of Creative Window Designs to discuss valances and pick out material. That was supposed to happen this morning also but got delayed.

In between, we managed to eat lunch which was homemade Chinese chicken stir fry that was leftover from the other night. DH also hung some more artwork and I have made a list a mile long of things we need to buy at the carpet store, furniture store and Pier One when we find time.

The  past few days or so we have been working on decorating the house ( doing our homework that the designer gave us). In between I have done the  following:

-Won a $ 10. Gift Certificate to Del Fuego Steakhouse in Newfane.

- Joined Rewards Gold and earned enough points to get a 1 years subscription to Women's Day  Magazine.

-Signed up for Free Samples of Bounty Paper Towels  and a Fusion Proglide Razor for DH.

- I mailed out the $ 10. Rebate for the Prepaid Mastercard from P&G.

- Did 2 loads of wash in the HE's

- Helped DH make some more room in the garage for his new toy which will be arriving soon.

- Received the Free Tropicana Orange Juice Coupon.

Dinner tonight is in the crockpot: beef stew with onions, potatoes, carrots and celery.

Please feel free to leave a comment and share with all of  us what you have done recently to save money.

Top's Supermarkets and Rite Aid!

It took me while to get out today because I slept in.  But I  finally went ro Rite Aid and  to Top's to  do a great deal  for my grandson. I  also purchased 10 Buffalo News at $ 2.00 each  but used a  $5./20. Rite Aid coupon to defray the cost. I bought the extra newspapers because it is one of the first times since I have moved to New York that I loved the coupons and felt it was worth the money.  This is what I purchased:

Tops Supermarket:

9 - 64 ct. Pampers Wipes - $ 2.79 each - Used (9) $ 2./1 Mfrs.  Cpns( 6/6  P&G) = $ 7.11 and I received a Catalina form to mail in for a Free $ 10.00 Prepaid Mastercard .

Total  OOP with tax was $ 7.68 and I will mail for the $ 10.00 Prepaid Mastercard. I LOVE moneymakers!


Rite Aid Transaction #1:

1 Aveeno Positively Ageless Sunblock Lotion - $ 11.99 - 20% Wellness = $ 9.59 - Used $ 2.00 IN AD Cpn - Used $ 5.00/1 Mfrs. IP Cpn  = $  2.59

3 Pantene Nature Fusion Shampoo - on sale 2 for $ 7.00 = $ 10.50 - Used (3) $ 2./1 Vocalpoint Mfrs. Cpns - Used $ 1./10. Rite Aid Haircare Cpn = $ 3.50 

Used $ 5./20 Rite Aid VV Cpn 

Total OOP including tax  was $ 1.53.  All of these purchases go toward the P&G  Rite Aid $25. and $5. Giftcards.


Rite Aid Transaction #2 ( DH's Card):

1 Gillette Fusion Pro Glide Manual Razor - $ 9.99 -  Used $ 4./1 Mfrs Cpn  ( 6/6 P&G)  = $ 5.99 and I will submit for the $ 5.00 Single Check Rebate

1 .5  oz. Blink Tears - $ 7.99 - Used $2./1 Mfrs. Cpn ( 5/16 RP) = $ 5.99 and I will receive a $ 7.99 SCR = $ 2.00 Moneymaker

1  500 ml Listerine Total Care - $ 3.99  - Used $ 1./1 M frs. Cpn ( 5/16 RP) = $ 2.99 and I will receive  a $ 3.00 SCR = $ .01 Moneymaker

Used $ 5/.20 Rite Aid VV Cpn

Total OOP was 10.69 including tax but I will receive $ 15.99 in SCR's

Christmas in June!

Who says you can't bake Candy Cane Brownies in June?  I was craving something sweet tonight.  Since I don't keep sweets around the house very often, I was pondering what I could make. Then I remembered this mix that I bought after Christmas: Candy Cane Brownies . A small brownie is going to keep me very, very happy!      

DH's Deal Because It Never Hurts to Ask!

After we carted our things home from our son's garage sale, DH and my son went to get DH a new toolchest. The moving company damaged his when they moved it cross country. It fell off the truck according to a representative of the moving company. They have not paid us for it yet because we have not filed the claim yet. We were told to file all claims at once. We are just about ready to do that. But meanwhile, DH needed a toolchest for the garage and he has been  looking for a good deal on one.  

Sears Hardware had this one which is two pieces on sale at 50% off which cost a total of $ 159.98+ tax.  When my DH and son went back to the house with the second and last load, I had them pick up a 10% off  Lowe's coupon.  I didn't know if they would honor competitor's coupons but  figured it was worth a shot for them to ask. They did and DH got $ 16.00 off the sale price which saved us the  $16.00 plus $1.28 in sales tax.  

The garage sale was a bust for us. But I am not surprised since very few people came and they were not looking for furniture and artwork which is mainly what we had there. I had it priced really cheaply but people were looking for little things. I will put them on Craiglist  which I seem to have better luck with. My son and DIL sold some of their small things and an outdoor storage chest which was great for them to get them out of the house.  Fortunately, we  live close to  our son so it was not a biggie to cart two loads back and forth. The big plus for the day was being able to play with our grandson. He gets cuter and more fun everyday.  The other bonus is that my son cooked us a wonderful grilled sausage lunch.  MY DIL and I walked to  a # of garage sales and I spent more money than I made on my grandson and grandaughter.  It was a great place to pick up toys, books and clothes for them.  My DIL was so happy to find an almost brand new Bjorn Carrier that sells for $ 75.  on sale for just $10.  It will be terrific for them to carry my grandson when they take him to Ireland later this year.  

I am tired and off to rest a little before I cook dinner.

Money Saving Challenge - Thursday, June 3rd

Can you guess what  we had for breakfast today? It's in the picture. You are right. It's blueberry pancakes. I actually made enough for today and tomorrow. The blueberries aren't local yet but they were so  sweet and yummy! 

After getting ready for the day, the town sewer inspector came. Funny thing is he inspected it just before we closed. The Town, every 5 years, does an inspection of certain areas and we fell into the 5  year inspection area this month. So I guess we are now done for 5 more years.

As I was preparing to go shopping for the things that DH decided he couldn't live without this week, the sub contractor who would  install the sprinkler system came to scope it out so that he can give our contractor the price. It looks like 12 zones for just the lawn and then  more zones for all the gardens. We only had 6 zones when we lived in NY before. But this property is twice the size of that one plus there will be a lot more trees and  bushes. I am keeping my fingers crossed that  the price comes in within our budget. I don't relish moving sprinklers around to do this property and get the lawn in.  

Next I did the shopping at Aldi's and Tops. Aldi's is near Top's so I stopped there first to scope out  some prices. I had planned on picking up 2 Blue Bonnet Margarine at Tops for $ 1.00 each. But Aldi's had the  Imperial for $ .69 each, so I got 2 of those. Tops sparkling water was a dime  cheaper but it was not a brand I was familiar with, so I  picked up Tops brand at the sale  price of $ .79 each. If any of you have tried the water at Aldi's, could you let me know if it was good?  DH has meds that he  has to mix with water and they taste horrid.  At least the sparkling water makes them tolerable. The orange juice was on sale for $3.00 and per ounce was the best deal this week. The red onion DH loves in his salads. Tops brand was the best deal this week for yogurt. I like to make  my own but I seem to have little time this week, so I picked up theirs for our strawberry, blueberry and granola  parfaits. And lastly, since I had a $ 1.50/1  coupon for  the new Kraft Homestyle mac and cheese, I got one. I spent $ 20.22 at Tops and $ 1.38 at Aldi's.  

I was home in time for the interior designer to come. We spent about 2 hours with her going over what we were looking  for and finding out what she could do for us. We think we can work very well with her. She  has lots of  great ideas and  is very respectful of our ideas. So we have hired her. She loved what we have done with our morning room ( which is really our dining room) and told us that room is perfect and she wouldn't change a thing. That made us feel really good! She said our exercise room looked great for the  purpose we are using it for. However, she  wants to move a huge piece of artwork from there into our great room. Funny thing  is that I wanted it in the great room to begin with and DH didn't. It took some convincing but he is in agreement now. She loved all  of  our furniture and lighting, so we don't really have a lot of furniture to buy.  So she has work to do over the  next week for us including some shopping for us.  And she left us with a lot of homework to do before she comes back a week from tomorrow. DH  and I have a lot of artwork to hang, an oriental rug to move, a sofa table and possible coffee table to  find( we are not sure that a coffee table  is necessary with all  of  the other tables we have).  The sofa table is a necessity because the movers damaged ours beyond repair. We have lamps to swap around and lamps to buy. We have an 8' runner to  find and buy. We also have another rug for the entryway to look for. We have many  beautiful artwork pieces that just need updating with new framework. That is going to take some  time working with Custom Framers.  We bounced our idea for all the valances off of her. The colors we want to use in them are perfect, she told us.  We know what style and shape we want. So we have decided to work with Creative Window Designs where we purchased all  of our shades and blinds to have them made.  We will try to get moving on that next week. We will be working with her for a few months but in the end, I know that DH and I will be very happy with the results.

As she was leaving, we saw our soon to be neighbors looking over their home. So we all chatted for a while. We are very  fortunate to have such  a wonderful family moving in across the street from  us.  DH and I will no longer feel like we live miles away from everyone. 

We had a very late dinner of Buffalo Chicken Wing Sausage in spaghetti sauce over pasta. I made some homemade garlic bread  to go with it.  

Friday and Saturday, we will be very busy with the garage sale. We still have many things to pull out to sell.  I don't plan on making a killing moneywise on this sale. I just want to get rid of things that we no longer need. So I am pricing with that in mind. That list got larger after the decorator was here.  So I won't be  posting again until Sunday. 

I don't mean to brag or bore you with all of things that we are doing for the house. But that is where our life is right now, so just skip over those parts if you are not interested. I do want  you to realize that we are spending a lot of cash to make this home the way we want it. I know that if you are just starting out in your married life that financially you are not able to do a lot of what you would like to do. What I want you to take from all of what I tell you is that, if you live frugally and save that as the years go on, you too will be able to do all that you want to do. What DH and I do today and what we were able to do in the Arizona house is because of all of the years that we were frugal and socked our money away to grow for us.  I see so many young people get in trouble with debt because they get married and try to live the way their parents live and they forget that it took their parents many years to reach that quality of living. Because so many of those young people mortgage their future and  never learn how to handle their money, they end up poor in their older retirement  years.  We  didn't have Dave Ramsey to guide us when we were young.  But his words ring so true: Live like no one else so that later on you can live like no one else! Truer words have never been spoken!      

Please feel free to leave a comment and share with us what you have done today to save money. 

Money Saving Challenge - June 2nd

It was a  busy day here. After sleeping in way too late this morning and doing my 30 minutes on the treadmill, DH and I went down to meet with our outside contractor andto give him a check paying 1/3  of the project upfront. He will have the estimate to us tomorrow from his sub contractor for a sprinkler system to be installed and  co-ordinated with the contractor. Then DH and I can make a decision on that. We have had sprinkler sytems in our last two homes so I almost hate to go without one.

After a lunch of leftover turkey from last night, I set about to dust and vacuum and spruce up the house so that the interior designer can take pictures tomorrow. Yes, I  was lucky and the perfect woman for the job called us back. She will be coming to see our home tomorrow and if we like her and her ideas, we will hire her to pull the things together in our home and do any shopping that needs to be done to fill things in.  DH and  I loved living every minute in the beauty of our AZ home. We never tired of  it.  I want this home which will most likely be our last to feel the same way for us.

Shortly after I started cleaning, my son showed up with my grandson to visit. They only live a hop, skip and a jump away. My little grandson has pneumonia. I  feel so bad for him. But he seemed a little better today than when I saw him yesterday. Today's meds are an amazing thing. Even with being sick, he had a smile for his Grandma and Grandpa.

After the cleaning was done, I made out about $20. worth of rebates to get mailed.  I also did one load of laundry in the HE's and ran the dishwasher on quick wash. 

After checking in with my SIL, who had surgery last week, to see how she was doing, I ran to the mailbox and got a free magazine, a sample and a $ 6.00 rebate check. I just love all the rebate checks lately. I love socking them into our savings.


Dinner tonight was turkey, cranberry and celery wraps. Dessert( which we will have later tonight) will be homemade strawberry jello. 

Tonight I will be  reading and going to bed early. We have to get up early because a town inspector is coming at 8:30AM.

Please  feel free to leave a comment and  share with all of us what you did to save money today. I appreciate all of the comments  you leave and I learn  from each and every one of them.     
      

Rite Aid - What a Deal!

I had to go to Rite Aid to pick up a prescription for DH that  was on back order. I went armed with a another B1G1F Ziploc coupon; however the shelves were stripped. I was happy that I got the  6 yesterday. But I also needed eyeliner, so I did this deal. I will sell the compact at the garage sale this weekend. This is what I purchased:

Rite Aid:

1 Physicians Formula Bamboo Wear Compact, Mirror  and Brush - $ 6.95 - Used $ 5.00 Rite Aid Coupon- Used  $1./1 Mfrs. Cpn = $ .95

1 Physicians Formula Eye Definer Liquid Eye Marker $ 6.95 - on sale at 50% off wyb another Physicians Formula  $ 3.47 - Used $ 1./1 Mfrs. Cpn = $ 2.47

Total OOP was $ 4.25 including tax and I will be sending for the TMF Rebate for the Compact, so  I will get $ 6.95 back. You must buy the compact with the Pink TMF sticker because you need to send it with the printable rebate form and your receipt. This is a $2.70 Moneymaker for me plus I figure I can sell the compact for at least $ 2.00 at the garage sale.

What's New Today Besides Shopping:

It has been a day for telephone calls. On Saturday,we received a bill from a Dr. in AZ that treated me at the hospital just before we moved. It was for $ 756. and said final notice. Since we have never received any other bill from them, I was ripped. So DH called this morning and they were honest and told us that the first time they sent a bill to us was March 29, 2010 and then they sent a 2nd bill on April 26th. This was for treatment the end of October 2009. Mind you the hospital had not only my current address but my old P.O. Box and the telephone # to reach me. We are so conscientious about paying our bills that we contacted the hospital before we moved to give them everything and then again when we moved in to this house. Also the bill that came on Saturday came directly to us here. We never saw the other two bills and all of our other mail over the past6 months has been fowarded and reached us . Evidently the hospital never gave our insurance info to their own physician nor our new addresses or telephone #. Now here is the catch: Our insurance company will not pay unless any claim for 2009 is submitted by March 30, 2010. The hospital was our only point of contact and we paid that co-pay for that bill. They sent it to us with no problem. We called our insurance company this morning and they said the Dr. can submit it but they must submit a good reason as to why it was late. Insurance company checked their records and it has never been submitted to them although all of my insurance info and copies of my insurance card were copied at admission. So it will be interesting to see what gets paid or if it gets paid. We may be on the hook for the entire bill due to the incompetence of the billing office for the Dr. I should only have had to pay a $ 20.00 co pay. DH says we are not paying it; they can eat it. If push comes to shove we will file in court. It's the principle not the money. It looks to me like the Dr's office knew darn well that all insurances had to be in on March 30th and they say they mailed the first bill the day before and then a second bill to us! Where are those bills? They never bothered to bill the insurance company. I doubt they ever mailed anything until this one to us. UGH! I will let you know how this one turns out.

I also finally got around to calling two interior designers today. I am  awaiting their callbacks. We called the company that we have contracted to do the topcoat of blacktop on our driveway and they will do that on next Tuesday.   

Besides all of these calls, running the errands, doing a load of wash, I have put a turkey breast in the oven on convection to save on energy. It will be dinner and meat for wraps for lunch this week.

Not much else going on here!